"Ironically the Bloomfields had only just been vaccinated against whooping
cough days before Mr Bloomfield’s symptoms became obvious."
Couldn't have been the vaccine........nah.........
Sheri
At 07:55 PM 8/16/2009, you wrote:
http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/news/general/cough-so-bad-mick-felt-like-he-was-dying/1589643.aspx
Cough so bad Mick felt like he was dying
BY TRACEY PRISK
7/08/2009 7:49:00 AM
LUCKNOW man Mick Bloomfield had never heard of adult whooping cough but since
contracting the disease four weeks ago he admits that he’s felt close to death
on several occasions.
“There have been times when I couldn’t breath for three or four minutes at a
time,” he said.
“I’ve ended up in the hospital in the middle of the night because I felt so bad.
“I usually cough so much that I end up vomiting.”
Mr Bloomfield hopes that by telling his story others will be encouraged to have
a whooping cough booster shot.
“If you haven’t been immunised, then get it done,” he said.
“Since this happened I’ve been telling everyone I know that they need to have a
shot.
“I even rang my 81-year-old father in Parkes and he went and had his shot this
week.”
As a result of the whooping cough and associated inactivity, Mr Bloomfield now
has a blood clot in his leg and the excessive coughing has caused his back to go
out of alignment twice.
Mr Bloomfield said his illness had also taken a toll on his wife Barb’s health
as she has also endured weeks of sleepless nights.
Mrs Bloomfield has been extremely concerned over her husband’s ill health.
“Really it’s the worry over not knowing if he’s going to be able to breathe or
not,” she said.
“It’s been a terrible time for us.”
Mr Bloomfield expects he’ll spend a long time recovering from the illness.
“I’ve been off work for weeks already,” he said.
“Luckily, I already had holidays booked so I will be able to have more time off
at the end of my sick leave.”
Mr Bloomfield said he initially thought he had contracted a cold or flu, however
his symptoms escalated to include severe coughing bouts.
Four weeks in, he’s still experiencing breathlessness and coughing bouts which
will continue for the next few months.
Ironically the Bloomfields had only just been vaccinated against whooping cough
days before Mr Bloomfield’s symptoms became obvious.
Like all grandparents and people who are spending time with babies under one
year old, the Bloomfields received their vaccination free of charge.
The acting coordinator of infectious disease control Carol George said whooping
cough affects people differently.
“For some people it can be a mild irritating cough and for others it can be
bouts of coughing where they are gasping for breath and vomiting,” she said.
According to Ms George, while most people are aware of how devastating the
illness can be for infants few people are aware of the impact it can have on an
adult’s health.
“The first three weeks are the worse and because it’s often a difficult thing to
diagnose people are often still contagious before they are diagnosed,” he said.
“Really the best protection is cough etiquette and making sure you wash your
hands frequently.”
FAST FACTS
From January to July 2009 465 cases of whooping cough were diagnosed in the
Greater Western Area Health Service (GWAHS).
Fifty-five cases were diagnosed in GWAHS in July 2009.
n Booster vaccine shots are free for anyone caring for a child under one,
expecting a baby or who has close family members who are pregnant.
Eighty per cent of unimmunised children develop it.
It is most common in infants under two.
Adults catch whooping cough because their immunity wanes with age.
Complications include pneumonia, cerebral haemorrhage from coughing,
inflammation of the brain, choking and apnoea.